FACTORS INFLUENCING WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT IN GOMA: A SOCIO-CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Women's empowerment in Goma is hampered by several significant challenges. Traditional social structures and restrictive gender norms continue to limit women's access to resources and economic opportunities. This limits their ability to participate fully in economic and social life and hinders progress towards gender equality. Thus, we aimed to determine the factors of women's empowerment in Goma and to evaluate the effect on the likelihood for women to be autonomous and to formulate policies oriented towards the promotion of the gender dimension. Thus, to arrive at conclusive facts, the Principal Component Analysis supported by truncated regression, carried out on the basis of data collected in the field from 217 women sellers along the main road, commonly called national road N2 from 2022 to May 2024, in the city of Goma, served us. The total explained variance of the components of women's empowerment in Goma being 72.739% and the eigenvalues associated with the components greater than 1, the structural coefficients for all dimensions are greater than 0.4 and the results of the confirmatory factor analysis shows adequate psychometric qualities (CFI: 0.79; IFI = 0.80; RMSEA = 0.094). Indeed, the results reveal that the multiplication of taxes, police harassment, difficult access to resources and their control; are political factors limiting women’s empowerment.The human capital factors that determine women's empowerment are linked to theirparticipation in decision-making in the education of children, their health and that of women. The study reveals that the social factors include the access to opportunities and their ability to determine the choices. The accumulation of savings and the increase of influence within households and the community, are the cultural factorsof women's empowerment in Goma. In addition, the status of the household on the plot, depending on whether it is owner or tenant and the women’s participation in decision-making within the household; were captured as family factors of empowerment. Finally, in relation to the factors of women's empowerment, it emerged from the study that the contribution to household expenses and the independence of the woman vis-à-vis the spouse with regard to access to credit , are economic factors of their empowerment in Goma.Furthermore, at a p-value p<0.01 and p<0.05, at the respective thresholds of 99% and 95%;in addition to the above, the truncated regression reveals other factors that are significantly correlated with women's empowerment. it's abouteducation level of the spouse, the woman's marital status, the woman's sector of activity, the access to the internet, the sex of the head of household, the woman's income and her monthly contribution to the household budget. Therefore, in relation to policies, the women's empowerment requires a multidimensional approach that addresses structural barriers, access to education and health, political, social, family, cultural and economic barriers.